Next month, I will be attending Logic and G-Eazy's Endless Summer Tour. *assortment of excited noises*. 
My brother introduced me to Logic, but I credit my love of G-Eazy to myself. Gerald Earl Gillum's story starts in the bay area, moves to New Orleans for college, and now he travels the world. He lives a perfect example of how hard work leads to success. How could a Biology student from Honky-Tonk, Tennessee admire a Rap artist (besides his looks)?
Is it because I'm a secret aspiring rapper? I do have mad skills, but no. Gerald possesses certain qualities that I see as inspiring and I believe he is a person worthy of my admiration.
1. "Love me 'cause my ego"
If there's one thing Gerald doesn't lack, it's self confidence. His fans think he is one of the greatest things on God's green Earth and he is fully aware of that. There's just something about a person with so much confidence. Those people demand respect and attract attention. Confidence is one of my biggest weaknesses. I struggle with being sure of myself, but in contrast, G-Eazy knows what he wants and he has the ego that says, "I get what I want." That's something I need more of in my life. Gerald has inspired me to try to be more sure of myself and have more confidence in expressing what I want. But, Gerald has his reasons to have this huge ego...
2. "Pay attention, none of this is happening by accident."
Gerald has been working on the vision he has for his life since he was in high school when he'd write songs as poetry and rap in his room with friends. This drive and determination he has is something that I have to possess in my life to achieve greatness. The message you can hear in all of G-Eazy's songs is: I know what I want and I've worked for this. The "work for this" part of that is something I've had shocked into me this past year. Anything I want to become in life, whether it's a botanist, zoologist, or neonatologist, I'm going to have to work for it. I can't put anything before my goals. It's just what has to happen. So I'm embracing Gerald's determination and applying it to my life.
3. "Still in school, trying to reach a buzz"
Many people drop out of college to pursue their dreams in the entertainment industry and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. If they are prepared to chase their dream, I say go for it; although, there's something to say about a person who sticks it out and finishes their degree. Speaking as a college student, to see people graduate with the degree they have worked towards ,earns them a special respect from me. In 2011, Gillum graduated from Loyola University with a BA in Music Industry Studies. Gerald earned that respect from me.
4. "Play on"
We all know the theory that how a boy treats his mother is a reflection on how he'll treat his girl. Gerald loves his mom. He bought his mom a new car for her birthday. 
He brings his mom out to celebrate his success. 
In his song, Opportunity Cost, Gerald included a voicemail from his mother at the end. If you really want to know how supportive of a mother she is, go listen here. I got a little teary eyed the first time I heard it, not gonna lie. I love my family, especially my mom. She's put so much aside to raise my brother and me. Both Gerald's and my own mother are school teachers. He says the college degree he earned was in respect to his mother who believes education is of the utmost importance. I want to get a degree to be able to give back to my mother for everything she has given me. Maybe one day I can, "move moms outta the Honda and into a Benz".
5."I've got that dapper look. I'm bangin' Bridget after Brooke."
And a dapper look he doth possess. I mean, look at that hair, the jacket.
He wears all black to resemble a reincarnated Johnny Cash (and also because he just doesn't like picking out clothes, which is understandable). Yes, I admire his looks, but not for the reasons you might think. The juxtaposition of two completely different worlds, the 50's aesthetic and rap culture, has created something new and I'm in awe at the way he could link these two looks and not only make it work, but make it a complete success. I admire this because I'm still trying to decide what works for me. One minute, I want to dress like Stevie Nicks and the next I want to look like the sorority version of Jackie Kennedy. The way he's found one look that just works for him inspires me to try and find my style. Although, I'm not exactly sure if he's helping considering he has opened me up to a whole new world of shoes...
6. "Everywhere I go I rep the Bay"
On all his albums (and most of his songs) you hear Gerald make a reference toward his home, The Bay Area. He loves where he's from and he makes sure everyone knows it. I'm from a small town in West Tennessee. Most people don't believe me that when I say small, I mean that there's nothing to do on the weekends except hang out in the Wal Mart parking lot. And if you do that, everyone will be talking about you the next day because this person's great aunt Mae saw you. It's ridiculous, but I'm happy I grew up there. I think that it gave me an interesting outlook onto the world. I grew up with hate. People judged others based on the color of their skin ,or even because of who they fell in love with. I think that's why I've become so open to different people in my life. I could care less if your skin color is purple nor do I care who you take home from the party; all I care about is that we had fun while you were there. I'm not saying everyone in small towns are like this, but I'm happy I didn't become one of those people. G-Eazy is proud of where he came from while I am proud I rose above my roots. I didn't become a hateful person. I moved on and changed for the better. I've made it a mission to find a place my children are proud to call their home the way G-Eazy is proud to be from "The Bay".
Thank you, G-Eazy, for working toward your goals and for being just flat out amazing.
